


the sky has finally opened

by lizook12



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Found Family, Future Fic, Gen, Jim "Chief" Hopper Lives, Post S3, Sort Of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-09
Updated: 2019-08-09
Packaged: 2020-08-13 19:02:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20179183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lizook12/pseuds/lizook12
Summary: He’s long since learned to pick his battles and this shouldn’t be one of them...





	the sky has finally opened

**Author's Note:**

> This is probably nowhere near how this is going to happen, but I know it's going to absolutely kill me when it does and I wanted to try my hand at some version of it so... here we are... 
> 
> Title found in Kacey Musgraves' _Rainbow_

“Hey, I thought we said to keep the magazines in your room or at least on the coffee table!” He tosses his hat, groaning as it lands and knocks several more onto the floor. 

He’s long since learned to pick his battles and this shouldn’t be one of them, but really, where is he supposed to walk? 

A muffled response comes from the bathroom and he has to fight back a laugh at the flimsy excuse. 

“We are _not_ turning this place into a library. Henderson is here enough as it is.” 

Leaning out of the bathroom, she tilts her head at him for a moment. “Not his kind of reading.” 

“Yeah, I’m aware.” He sighs, wonders when their tiny place became the secondary meeting spot for the group. 

Probably around the time they decided they might as well keep some necessities at the Byers; they’re there often enough. 

Ok, so ‘often’ is maybe underplaying it. They’ve practically moved in. 

Just haven’t made it official yet. 

Still, when they’re here, the kids seem to follow.

And honestly, he’s not upset, it’s just… overwhelming… at times. 

“….with Max, but Will and Mike might meet us there… Hop?” 

“Hmm?” He pushes off from the counter, barely refrains from commenting on the ridiculous clip in her hair. 

“Roller skating with Max.”   
  
“Got it. Don’t break anything.” He starts fishing in his pocket, looking for a couple dollars for her skate rental and a snack if she wants. “Hey, I’m serious, if you fall just let it happen; trying to brace yourself is how you snap your wrist.”

“I know, I know.” She rolls her eyes, tugs on the denim jacket Nancy has passed down. “You don’t have to tell me _every_ time, Dad.”  


Time seems to stop. 

Stand completely still.

It’s not that he’d given up on this happening entirely, but… 

Well, ok, he’d almost given up on this happening entirely. 

And it was fine.

After they’d found him they’d needed time to learn and trust one another again, he couldn’t hold it against her.

Hell, it sort of scared him to even think about having that title again. 

But still, some tiny part of him had really wanted to hear it. 

“Is that… umm…” 

Her voice jolts him back to the present and he steps forward, wrapping his arms around her. “That’s great, kid.” He lets his jaw rest on the top of her head for a moment, hanging on to the hug a little longer than usual. “Really.” 

“Ok.” It’s muffled against his shirt, the last trace of uncertainty disappearing as she squeezes him back. 

A car horn cuts through the night, the moment, _everything, _and… 

Jesus, he’s getting soft. 

He pushes away the threatening tears and laughs, pressing the money that’s been fisted in his hand this whole time into hers. “Here, have fun.” 

“Got it.” 

“And no trying to moonwalk in those skates.” 

“Sure… Dad.”

The door closes behind her and he grins, shaking his head as he bends down and picks up the pile of magazines strewn across the floor. “Tiger Beat? Dear god.” 

Laughing, he arranges them into a haphazard tower and scrawls a note—_to your room!—_for on top. 

He wouldn’t have it any other way. 


End file.
